A decade from now, in the historic town of Vigil Harbor, there is a rash of divorces among the yacht-club set, a marine biologist despairs at the state of the world, a spurned wife is bent on revenge, and the renowned architect Austin Kepner pursues a passion for building homes designed to withstand the escalating fury of relentless storms. Austin's stepson, Brecht, has dropped out of college in New York and returned home after narrowly escaping one of the terrorist acts that, like hurricanes, have become increasingly common.

Then two strangers arrive: a stranded traveler with subversive charms and a widow seeking clues about a past lover with ties to Austin--a woman who may have been more than merely human. These strangers and their hidden motives come together unexpectedly in an incident that endangers lives--including Brecht's--with dramatic repercussions for the entire town.

Vigil Harbor reveals Julia Glass in all her virtuosity, braiding multiple voices and dazzling strands of plot into a story where mortal longings and fears intersect with immortal mysteries of the deep as well as of the heart.